KEEPING YOU IN THE KNOW
about how COVID-19 is affecting our people, our programs, our methods of delivering essential services like food and shelter,
and how you can help us
continue to serve our Guests.
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Jeff Hassel , Executive Director
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The Lazarus House Shelter has offered dignity, comfort, and safety to as many people as possible – about 40 at full occupancy, since opening in 1983. COVID-19 is forcing us to change the way we shelter our Guests, so, going forward, we will focus specifically on the care of families.
We will create 5 family “suites” consisting of a bedroom, living room, and a private bathroom; in this way, we will offer reasonable protection for our Guests and staff against the spread of the virus until a vaccine is available.
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The Good Shepherd Center
is usually the bustling home of our administrative staff, Guests, volunteers, a Thrift Store, the Soup Kitchen, and our Culinary Training Program. Right now, with some programs temporarily closed and only a skeleton crew in the building, it is a good time to invite you, our faithful volunteers, to make long-needed repairs and improvements.
Volunteer Opportunities
Over the next six weeks, we will be looking for volunteers to come to the shelter while it is closed to safely join in the repair, beautification, and creation of our new shelter space. We’ll need small teams of people with skills in carpentry, drywall repair, painting, and a plethora of light maintenance and improvement projects to help us create these “Suite Spots” for our Guest families and improve the space at The Good Shepherd Center.
Please contact Marcy Furse, our Coordinator of Volunteers, to find out more –
[email protected].
Current Priorities in our New Reality:
- Keep the Soup Kitchen staff healthy and serving hot breakfasts and lunches six days a week (noting that we will likely serve 1000 meals this week, a 40% increase over our normal spring volume)
- Keep the Food Pantry staff healthy and serving every Wednesday (at increases of an average of 10-20% per week for the last 5 weeks, with expected jumps in August)
- Renovate and reconfigure our Shelter to reopen in July
- Update the Good Shepherd Center while we have few people on the premises
As we move through June, we will give thoughtful attention to the changes we will need to make to reopen currently closed programs and keep our Guests and our staff safe.
Praying for a vaccine and safety for all as we press on
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Reverend Jeff Hassel, Executive Director
"Linking Arms … From a Distance"
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A REMINDER OF OUR TEMPORARY PROGRAM CHANGES:
- The City Shelter will close on May 27 and our Lazarus House Shelter leaders have been successful in their efforts to provide housing for our Guests until such time as our Shelter can reopen.
- The Soup Kitchen continues using a “meals to go” breakfast and lunch Monday through Saturday.
- The Food Pantry continues Wednesday food distributions (9:30 AM – 2:00 PM) using a “groceries to go” format.
- We have closed our Thrift Stores until further notice.
- We have closed our Sparkle Cleaning business until further notice.
- We have closed our Sewing and Culinary Arts classes are until further notice.
- We have suspended our crucial Volunteer Program until further notice.
- Lazarus House leaders continue to make necessary changes, as recommended by the State of Massachusetts and the CDC, to the way we serve, sanitize facilities, use personal protective gear, and operate. We are keeping safety for all at the forefront of our minds and actions.
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HOW YOU CAN HELP
PRAY for our Guests, the Lawrence Community,
and our staff
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LAZARUS HOUSE – A Beacon of Hope in the darkness of poverty and homelessness.
In this era of COVID-19, Lazarus House continues its mission to help women, men, and children living in poverty restore their dignity and self-respect. We are concentrating our efforts to meet the basic needs of food and shelter for the people of Lawrence.
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